Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged Australians to abandon One Nation, saying being drunk is no excuse for its party officials talking about asking the American gun lobby for $US20 million.
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Queensland One Nation leader Steve Dickson and Pauline Hanson's chief of staff James Ashby claim they were "on the sauce" when they spoke to an undercover Al Jazeera reporter about potential donations.
"Being drunk is no excuse for trading away Australia's gun laws to foreign bidders," the prime minister told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
In Al Jazeera's footage, Mr Dickson says One Nation could get the government "by the balls" through holding the balance of power in both houses if they could get millions in funding.
That would allow them to weaken Australia's gun laws, a point they raised with powerful lobby groups in Washington DC including the National Rifle Association.
Senator Hanson broke her silence on Wednesday, saying she was shocked and disgusted with the "hit piece" by Qatari TV network Al Jazeera.
"A Qatari government organisation should not be targeting Australian political parties. This has been referred to ASIO," she tweeted.
The One Nation leader has been suffering from a tick bite on her face for the past week but is expected to front the media on Thursday.
Mr Morrison urged One Nation voters to support the coalition, criticising minor parties' ability to pursue their agenda.
"These are not parties of government, they are parties of grievance," he said.
Labor leader Bill Shorten repeated his assertion the prime minister needs to back up his condemnation of One Nation by putting them last on Liberal how-to-vote cards.
"How abhorrent does a political party's conduct have to be before Mr Morrison will put the nation's interests ahead of the interests of the government?" he said.
Mr Morrison has repeatedly said the Liberals would wait until final nominations before deciding on its preferences.
Australian Conservatives senator Cory Bernardi said he wasn't falling for the "smokescreen" of blaming a foreign media organisation.
"Pauline Hanson needs to give these two blokes the flick," he told Sky News.
Nationals cabinet minister Matt Canavan said the revelations had exposed One Nation as "absolute frauds".
Mr Ashby said the pair spoke only with undercover Al Jazeera reporter Rodger Muller about the potential $US20 million in donations.
Mr Muller posed as the head of fake lobby group Guns Rights Australia and initiated the One Nation meetings with the NRA.
Mr Ashby accused Mr Muller, who is Australian, of being a "Middle Eastern spy".
Australian Associated Press
